Education Consultant Susan Pimentel
Appointed to National Assessment Governing Board

Hanover, N.H., Expert on Education Reform is One of Seven Members
Named by U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan

WASHINGTON (September 6, 2011) – Susan Pimentel, a nationally known education consultant from Hanover, N.H., has been reappointed to serve a second four-year term on the National Assessment Governing Board, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced today. Six other Board members—another also an incumbent—were announced as well. Their terms begin October 1, 2011.

Pimentel, who was also a lead writer on English Language Arts and Literacy standards for the Common Core State Standards Initiative, will serve in the category of "curriculum specialist" on the Governing Board, which sets policy for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), known as The Nation's Report Card. NAEP is the country's only nationally representative assessment of student achievement in various subjects, including mathematics, reading, writing and science.

"We are delighted Sue is continuing her service on the Board," said Governing Board Chairman David Driscoll. "Her vast experience in education reform and curriculum will be a major asset in efforts to oversee The Nation's Report Card—the most valuable benchmark we have for monitoring student progress in the U.S."

Pimentel is an education consultant and standards and curriculum specialist whose focus for three decades has been on helping communities, districts and states work together to advance education reform and champion tools for increasing academic rigor. For more than 25 years, Pimentel has been involved in numerous education reform efforts at the national, state, and local levels. In addition to her work with the Common Core State Standards, Pimentel served as principal architect—providing research, technical assistance and policy guidance—to the American Diploma Project, which now includes 35 states that are dedicated to making sure every high school graduate is prepared for college or a career. A Governing Board member since 2007, Pimentel serves on the Board's assessment development committee and nominations committee.

Pimentel re-joins the Board as it is overseeing several major developments. They include a new computer-based Technology and Engineering Literacy assessment that will be administered in 2014, research studies to be released in 2012 on 12th-grade preparedness for higher education and job training, and a new ad hoc committee on engaging parents with the goal of increasing student performance and closing achievement gaps.

Congress established the 26-member Governing Board in 1988 to oversee NAEP, which makes objective information on student performance available to policymakers and the public at the national, state and local levels, and has served an important role in evaluating the condition and progress of American education since 1969. Among many other duties, the Governing Board determines subjects to be tested and the content and achievement levels for each test, and works to inform the public about NAEP results.

Pimentel is part of a group of governors, state legislators, local and state school officials, educators and researchers, business representatives and members of the general public who make up the Board. In addition to Pimentel, others appointed by Secretary Duncan today are listed below along with their hometown, category of appointment, and official title. The term for each member is slated to extend to September 30, 2015.

• Andrés Alonso, Baltimore, local school superintendent: Chief Executive Officer of the Baltimore City Public Schools
• Lou Fabrizio, Raleigh, N.C., testing and measurement expert: Data, Research and Federal Policy Director for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction; Board member since 2007
• Terry Holliday, Lexington, Ky., chief state school officer: Commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Education
• Dale Nowlin, Columbus, Ind., 12th-grade teacher: Teacher at Columbus North High School
• B. Fielding Rolston, Kingsport, Tenn., state school board member: Chairman of the Tennessee State Board of Education
• Cary Sneider, Portland, Ore., curriculum specialist: Associate Research Professor at Portland State University

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The National Assessment of Educational Progress is the only nationally representative, continuing evaluation of the condition of education in the United States. It has served as a national yardstick of student achievement since 1969. Through the Nation's Report Card, NAEP informs the public about what American students know and can do in various subject areas and compares achievement between states, large urban districts, and various student demographic groups.
The National Assessment Governing Board is an independent, bipartisan board whose members include governors, state legislators, local and state school officials, educators, business representatives and members of the general public. Congress created the 26-member Governing Board in 1988 to oversee and set policy for NAEP.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is a congressionally authorized project sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. The National Center for Education Statistics, within the Institute of Education Sciences, administers NAEP. The Commissioner of Education Statistics is responsible by law for carrying out the NAEP project.